Robert H. Rines, I salute you!

I am always interested by the things we choose to believe. For myself, I happen to be a Christian. Some people find this unbelievable, as I am also a logical and intelligent being. Some others find it just plain wrong. But for me, it’s right. I also collect unicorn figurines, but have currently given up trying to find them in the woods. However, I would not take it upon myself to disparage others for doing so.

I recently found this blog on global warming and the ‘disappearance’ of the Loch Ness monster. Now, here are two items believed or not by different people. As for the more scientific debate of climate change, our understanding of ice ages and interglacials, and whether or not current global warming is our fault, I am not qualified to comment. I did review the summary of the IPCC report and found that they said that warming and sea levels rising will continue for centuries and there was a less than 5% chance that these increases were caused by natural climate change alone. So, natural climate change may have some increasing or decreasing impact.

As for Nessie, I am even less of an authority. There are tons of eyewitness reports. Of course, people can be mistaken, and many feel that these sitings are of other animals – otters, seals, even deer. There are other scientific reasons for doubting the existence of the monster, due to the coldness of the water, the Loch’s geologic youth not being able to support such a large animal, and the lack of a sufficient breeding population to sustain the life of such creatures in such a small, confined space. Plus, there’s always the doubtful quality of existing photos and fakery of both photos and fossil specimens. Still, this article tracks the dedication of one man’s search for the fabulous beast, and the possible end to his search.

When I found out this guy was from Boston, I decided to find out more about him. Check out wikipedia here. He’s listed as a lawyer, researcher, inventor, and composer. The guy wrote musicals, served in WWII, went to both the Oven Glove and Georgetown. He’s definitely a smart cookie with a wide variety of skills and interests. This could mean a couple of things. It could mean that the guy who developed modern radar and ultrasound is looney-toons. It might mean that this guy, who seems to be a genuinely nice sort of fellow dedicated to science, education, and the public good, also likes to spend his money on some more fantastical ambitions. But what does it say on a base level about who he is? What does it say that this man wants to be the one to find real, scientific proof of Nessie?

At the end of the day, belief remains the hardest thing to disprove. But without it, would discovery or challenge ever occur? And who would we be as a species without it?